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Cross x S[i]N - RP

The reflection on the window could've been one of a genuine statue, motionless with deep blue eyes that stared into nothingness as the train sped its course and hair as dark as the night. Dante pressed his fingers against the chilled glass to match his own reflection, pressing deeper as his thoughts of a maiden, his once maiden, plagued his mind. The young adult's melancholic gaze troubled even the lady sitting across from him. The velvet red seats in the passenger compartments accommodated six passengers, three on each side. She gawked at his peculiar choice of clothes, the brazen unzipped coat that reached below his waist, the black muscle-shirt underneath that exposed the strength of his chest and the scratched, steel dog tags that dropped from his neck. The inquisitive woman peeped at the distinctive insignia on the dog tags but was interrupted when the young man caught sight and embraced the pieces with his right hand, preventing the woman from reading the inscription.

Dante looked at the blonde but only through the corner of his eyes, avoiding a full stare. The woman noticed, her cheeks reddened slightly as if reprimanded for doing something wrong. Still, the troubled look on his face warranted at least friendly conversation to make the trip less awkward, it was the least she could do for prying.

The lady hesitated but wholeheartedly tried small talk, "So, do you travel to Eternus often?"

After it seemed like forever of waiting for an answer, the woman sighed.

She didn't quite understand his mind was elsewhere but finally he spoke, raising an eyebrow as he did so, "Never been ... ma'm."

The woman wasn't surprised to hear a deep, masculine voice answer. She half expected him to sound like so yet the patience in his tone was different. Much to his annoyance, she candidly continued chatting.

"Oh, no need to call me ma'm! I'm only 28!" She said resentfully.

Still averting his gaze, Dante didn't much as nod at the comment.

Without causing him even a sympathetic chuckle, the 28 year old female herself turned slightly away, "My name is Merith."

" ... Dante," He replied as he turned to finally face her.

Merith smiled and extended him a hand but to her surprise didn't get one back.

"It's nothing personal Merith ... "

My father ... taught me only one way to greet ... "a weak hand is sign of a weak man," He recalled but offered her no explanation.

"Eternus ... what's it like?" He would eventually need to get some information of where he planned to spend the next few years, Dante figured he could start by interrogating Merith.

Merith's smile widened. "Eternus is wonderful. So many different cities - "

"The capital ... Columbus. ... Any places I should avoid?" Dante had no intention of avoiding anything. His question would lead him exactly where he needed to go. The lower the slums, the higher the pay, of course things tended to get dirty when dealing with the kind of people he dealt with.

"Places to avoid?" Merith asked, placing her finger over her lips as her eyes wandered while she thought of an answer.

"The Eastern Districts," She finally answered before breaking into another smile, "you definitely don't want to be alone there at night."

" ... Eastern Districts. I see."

Moments went by, Merith talked her head off, Dante simply listened and then the headaches started ... Again. He incredulously watched as the dame in front of him morphed into her. He could see her sitting right in front of him. Beatrice ...? He thought. Dante shook his head and abruptly got up from the passenger seat, half stumbling his way through the narrow corridor toward the wash room. He violently flung the door open, turned the sink knob and with both hands splashed water on his face. Dante looked up at the mirror and saw him again. The pale man with the silk, long hair of the night and red eyes.

He didn't speak. Never. Only stared, mocking Dante.

Narrowing his eyes, Dante balled up his fists as he slowly bowed his head. Tightening his grip, Dante looked up again at the deity in the reflection. Knowing no other way of ridding himself of his demon, Dante struck the mirror with a mighty blow, cutting his knuckles open as he impacted the glass. His entire body went numb, he could feel his hand tremble uncontrollably as the blood trickled down his arm.

He flung open several cabinets until he found a first aid kit, he pulled out a small iodine disinfectant and applied it to the open wound. He wrapped white tape around his fist to contain the bleeding and headed out. As he opened the door to exit the washroom he bumped into an older gentleman.

"Mirrors broken ... " He said as he walked out.

...

Merith sat there for quite sometime, her mind wandering what could've happened to Dante. He seemed almost startled for a split second and then just like that he reappeared, his hands in his coat pockets.

"Uh, everything okay?" She asked.

" ... Yeah ..."

Merith noticed he once again averted his gaze away from her.

Moments later, the train came to a stop and the speakers went on announcing the arrival. Bzzz ... Ladies and gentleman we've arrived at Eternus, please grab your belongings, in just seconds we will begin off boarding! Bzzz ...

"Well Dante, it was a pleasure! Good luck with everything."

"Luck and I aren't real close, Merith but um ... thanks ..." Dante picked up his black camo duffel bag, threw it over his shoulder and exited the train.

Dante walked alongside the outside curb and hailed a hover taxi. He threw his bag inside and got in the vehicle. "Where to my friend?" A cheerful man greeted.

"Eastern Districts ... I'm looking for work ... The kind that pays."

The taxi driver took a second before replying, he adjusted his rear mirror and looked Dante in the eye, "Eastern Districts is premium price for certain reasons ..."

"That's fine." Dante didn't hesitate.

The taxi pulled out of the curb and merged into the super highway. "Give me 45 minutes to an hour and I'll drop you off a block from where a mercenary can find work."

Dante looked out the tinted windows, he saw as the scenery slowly turned from massive skyscrapers and crowded areas with connecting bridges made of tangible energy and glass incorporated into the many structures to slum complexes. Super highways ran midair in different directions on different levels.

Sure enough, the taxi arrived at the Eastern Districts, the slums. "This is as far as I'm going son ... Walk around this corner and then straight, you'll see the building. Can't miss it, it's the only one still intact."

Dante paid the driver and stepped out of the hover car.

...

Cerberus, Dante read the half flashing sign before stepping inside. The whole place was filled with heavy cigar smoke. There were dozens of thugs and goons inside, either gambling or drinking. Dante walked up to the bartender and took a seat on a stool directly in front of the man with the eye patch.

"What does a guy need to drink around these parts to wake up the next morning with no memory about anything?" Dante asked.

"Red Juggernaut."

"Gimme that then."

Seconds later, the bartender slid Dante a giant glass full of red liquid with white foam bubbling along the surface.

Dante sipped from the glass.

The bartender's smile widened. Rookie, he thought, he'll be completely drunk in just seconds this poor bastard.

"I'm looking for work ..."

"What kind?"

"Whatever pays the bills."

"There's supposed to be an entire band of Blood Orcs hiding out somewhere in the Eastern Districts and we need one more person whose willing to join the search and destroy party ... that pays."

Dante pulled out a Gold coin and skillfully whirled it around the table with his fingers. " ... You have any other jobs ... preferably one that's been out long but no one's taken yet?" Again, Dante took a sip from the glass.

"There is one ... a simple receive and retrieve mission."

"What's the catch?" Dante asked, his interest sparked.

"The job is out in the Dark Realms."

"And the pay?"

"One million ****ing Gold."

"How do I get there?"

"Listen bud, if you really want this job, lets go around the back and I'll fill you in ... you understand right?"

Dante took his bags and followed the bartender to a room in the back, there were several other shady looking business people inside - suits and all.

"He's here for the job," the bartender said as he introduced Dante.

One of the business men stood up and spoke as he pulled a ticket from an inside pocket and gave it to Dante.

"Tonight at midnight you'll board a luxury ship currently docked at the Black Lake Port. The ship will carry thousands of wealthy types among other passengers across the Black Lake."

"Wealthy types?"

"People with too much money to give a ****, son. They pay handsomely for the next rush and crossing the Black Lake into the Dark Realms is at the top of that list."

Nobody was that stupid. Even Dante knew you didn't go into the Dark Realms, what motive could people with more Gold than common sense have to do something that stupid?

Didn't matter. One million Gold was enough to live comfortably or so Dante thought, maybe the real reason Dante took the job was because deep inside he wished the trip would kill him and he never had to think about Beatrice again or see him in the mirror.

" ... And once on the other side?" Dante asked cautiously.

"You don't worry about anything, a contact will find you and give you your next orders. You won't walk as much as one hundred yards into Dark Realm territory, I promise. This will be cake for you."

"Fair enough ..." Dante took the ticket with him and left but not before pausing at the door for a second and raising an eyebrow as he looked back off of the corner of his eye.

The bartender looked at the glass Dante left behind. The glass was completely full.

...

Dante waited patiently near the harbor. It was almost midnight, boarding would begin soon. Black Lake Port was highly restricted area, Dante couldn't imagine how luxury cruises were allowed to happen in an area as dangerous as Black Lake was. The damn water wasn't even water, it was a black sludge liquid that would kill you almost as soon as you fell into it. You wouldn't have a chance to drown because the heavy poison would kill you first. Then again, Dante didn't have excessive amount of Gold to understand how it could cloud your judgment. The ship was massive and the cannons on it even bigger. Of course the ship was loaded with weapons, there was no telling what sort of things could be found out on sea.

Hundreds of people gathered near the entrance, forming a line that grew exponentially by the second. For whatever reason, a young dame caught his attention, rather it was the distinct color of her red dress. It sparkled even through the thickening fog. He couldn't quite make out a face before she disappeared into the crowds.

Dante grabbed his belongings and leaped from where he sat. The night was so cold Dante's breath was visible but still he refused to button his coat. He simply made his was to the crowd and waited his turn to board.

...

((OOC: Your objective is to get into the cruise! Please don't do exactly what I did, it should be realistic for your character. Any questions, ask me before posting, I don't want to have to ask people to edit! Lets have fun ladies and gentlemen))

The red haired boy silently looked out into to city, seeing the many glass skyscrapers tower over him. The scene was a beautiful one, and he was just about done painted the arks he was in. Many younger children were circled around him, curious on what he was doing. The park itself was beautiful, with many different flowers and trees Asher hadn't even seen before. Though, maple trees weren't in sight, and to him, it was a travesty. He put his pallet down and reached for a lollipop in his pocket and started to suck on it. He looked behind at the kids, and saw there pouty faces, obviously craving the sugar he had.

Asher gave a soft smile and gave each on of them a peppermint. The kids smiled in delight and started to gnaw on the candy while Asher applied the last pit of paint.

"Perfect... I guess now I can have a little fun here," he smirked as he folded his easel down and started to put the art supplies on a near by table, where a lone woman sat.

"A marvelous job indeed Asher, I'm surprised you picked up such skill after a few short years of being released. To think about it, it felt like it was only yesterday when I first heard of your existence, time does sure fly by... Also, it was nice of you to give those children the candy," the woman gave a soft smile. Her long, luscious wavy red locks were her most prominent feature, and she was almost identical to Asher. They could of easily been mistaken for siblings.

"Envy is never a good thing Aunt Clair. It will eat away at you until you slowly start to snap, and hell will break lose. Besides, they're just children... I'm also a child as well, ironically. It's like... let me see here... I don't know. I just wish I did have to wear this stuff outfit," Asher gagged as he pulled his collar a little bit.

"You know that it's a formal event tonight, and we're here to restore our family's name. After the cruise tonight, we can quietly return to Speicher and return to a quite life of painting. Well, besides your outbreaks," Clair giggled as her nephew sighed. Asher just started to put away his art supplies and get ready to leave.

When he was done packing up, he pulled out a red vial, and popped of the cork. He quickly drank the liquid inside, and then smiled, a bit of scarlet dripping from his mouth. He grabbed his art bag and canvases, and motioned for Clair to come with him. He looked at the kids, and waved good bye to them before setting out.

~

Asher started to slowly get of his laugh as he entered his room on the boat. He quickly grabbed his weapon and pocketed it, feeling uneasy about the entire thing. He looked at his watch, it wad roughly 8 P.M., giving him enough time to set up. He quickly motioned for Clair to come with him and entered one of the main rooms on the cruise ship. He looked and saw a small spot reserved for him, making him happy that he could show some of the world's richest his art.

His main purpose here was to start restoring his family name, something he defiled much so. He sighed as he started to get to work, setting up the canvases and easels he had brought with him. After a while, he finished setting up the exhibit, and sat down wondering what will happen soon enough. He looked around and saw a small pen. He silently walked up to where the object was and pocketed it. To him, it let him ease off a little bit

This entire ship makes me uncomfortable. Sure, any thief on a ship would, but this ship is different. Why did I have to drag Aunt Clair into this heist anyways? At least a was able to get on board without get suspected, which is a good thing. They don't check suitcases, such idiots. Anyways they'll not know what will hit them. However, I have a feeling something bad is going to happen here soon... I'm also starting to get envious of the children on board. They get to have all the damn fun while I have to sit here in this stuffy outfit and talk to some rich snobs.

Asher musered a small chuckle as he turned to Clair, who was siting at the exhibit

"I'll be in the room, I'll be here at 9, when it starts," Asher notified her, and she responded in a small smile before going back to look over the art.

"Tonight will be a long night. Tonight will be a fun night!" He exclaimed, grabbing a bottle of champagne. No one was around to really listen to him, and what could one bottle of alcohol do to him anyways?

Last edited by Liltwick; 23rd April 2013 at 3:34 AM.

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again Fizzy Bubbles

Evie readied her cue stick, preparing herself to strike the cue ball as she silently made sure that her expected angles were right. The man she was competing against, a fellow in a business suit much older than she was, had a confident grin on his face. You chose the wrong pocket, little girl. He seemed to tell her. Evie only glanced defiantly at him as a smirk crept on her face. It was definitely working. She looked once again at her chosen pocket, the left one on the far end, then at the 8-ball, which was lying on the opposite side closer to middle distance. Swiftly, she then struck the cue ball, which quickly bumped off the left side before it whizzed towards the right of the 8-ball, pushing the latter to the left diagonally. Evie watched as the 8-ball slowed down a bit, before it fell into the pocket. Her face broke out into a grin as she pumped her fist into the air.

"Ha! That's our Evelyn!" One of Evie's pool buddies, a young redheaded man named Steven, said as he slapped her back. Evie set down her cue stick and went up to the man, who was now grumbling about his loss. She held out her hand.

"We made a deal. Two hundred Gold was our bet." She demanded, in her thick Almazine accent, grinning at him and savoring the moment of managing to trick him to play with her. He was going to have to pay up, but something in his face told Evie that he wasn't going to let go of the money that easily. The man put down his cue stick and crossed his arms. He was wearing an expensive business suit, as well as a gold watch, as if he was bound for a party, or perhaps a wedding.

"And what makes you think that I would really hand the money over to you, Miss Black? Do you really think that I have two hundred Gold on hand?" He protested, refusing to take out his wallet.

"And why did you agree to such a bet then? Scared that you were beaten by a girl?" She reminded him, pointing at the striped hair ribbon that held up her light blonde hair in a ponytail. "Come on, pay up now, bastard!" She continued, growing impatient. Murmurs among Evie's friends started filling the hall.

"He better not mess with Evelyn..." Steven mumbled.

"I heard Evelyn kicked a guy where it hurt when he refused to pay up..." Another one, Patrick, added. Evie knew their tactics and was frankly grateful for them. Ever since she became friends with them, they always helped her out in these situations, which almost always made the losers pay up. They helped her, and she helped them in return when they played their games. The man's eye twitched and Evie took this as a sign that he cracked. However, it was not in the way that she expected.

"Why don't I give you this instead? I swear, it's worth more than two hundred. Five hundred Gold actually!" he asked, digging into his pocket and pulling out what looked like a ticket. Evie arched an eyebrow.

"And what's so special about it that makes it worth five hundred gold?" She asked. Looking at the fancy ticket though, she could see that it wasn't just one of those cheap tickets one could get anywhere. In fact, it looked oddly like....

"Girl, you don't get it yet? It's a ticket for tonight's cruise across the Black Lake. First class all the way. Five hundred gold and I'm giving this to you...better than two hundred in hard cash." He replied, holding the ticket closer. Evie took it and looked at it closely, trying to make sure that it was real. Nothing seemed wrong with it, but then she passed it on to Steven and Patrick, allowing them to look at it. If anything, they were much better at it than she was.

"Do you seriously not believe me?" The man asked, an astonished look on his face. Evie glared back at him.

"Just so you don't cheat me off my win, old man." She shot back, before Patrick handed her the ticket, confirming that it was indeed, legitimate. Evie then smiled and gave the man a mock salute.

"Spasibo. I guess that there's a party I should be preparing for...little princess." She said, before heading out of the pool hall before the man could change her mind, pocketing her newly-earned ticket as she did.

Chernov Estate
Upstate Columbus

And this was how Evie found herself facing her younger brother Artem as he chastised her once again. Not for winning her ticket, but rather, her refusal to wear something fully formal. Evie wasn't exactly named Evelyn Black, but rather, Evgeniya Sergeyevna Chernova. Not one who hustled at pool for a job, but rather for the thrill of it. Her mother was CEO of an extensive multinational company, and Artem was a promising fashion designer. Between the two of them, she was the odd one out, being into less-than-classy pursuits, though her mother had nothing against it as long as she kept the alias up so she wouldn't be taken advantage of. It was her artistic brother who gave her tonight's headache though.

"Evgeni! Why do you want to wear your street clothes to such a party anyway? It says formal right here! Do you not understand the meaning of formal?" He exclaimed, using the nickname that Evie so loathed. Artem claimed that she didn't exactly act like a girl and thus, masculinized her name as one of the nicknames he gave her, much to her chagrin. They were standing in Evie's dark-colored room, a number of dresses and outfits set out on the bed.

"What? They can't fucking boot me out if I have a ticket! Five hundred gold is five hundred gold, Tyoma. They look at the ticket, not the clothes!" She protested. The last thing she wanted was for Artem to break out one of his long, pastel-colored creations and force her to put it on. Evie hated pastel colors, especially pink.

"But you know that you're not exactly what I'd call plain, Zhenya. Stunning, in fact. Come on, wear something nice just for the night....you can just bring your clothes to change into after the party if you're that stubborn." The blond boy insisted. After a while, Evie relented, but not without her own terms.

"Fine, but I get to choose what I wear. And yes, I will be bringing my clothes." She agreed, before heading to her walk-in closet and selecting an outfit. A few minutes later, she walked out, dressed in a short black silk tailcoat with crimson skull-shaped clasps and an assymetrical front, black silk minishorts and knee-high black boots with red buckles. Black gloves covered her hands and she wore no inner shirt, exposing her stomach. Neither did she let her hair down, keeping it up in her trademark ribbon. Artem looked at her, face in shock.

"Zhenya, not a tailcoat, a dress!" He growled, slapping his forehead and shaking his head. He then threw his hands up in the air. For him, his older sister could be so stubborn with what she wanted.

"Take care, Zhenya. Don't fall into the lake, OK?" Artem said as Evie opened the door to her side of the car. Before she went down however, she gave Artem a hug. He at least deserved that much.

"Hell, of course I won't, Artemis. Not when I still have someone to go home to." She said, before getting down and waving at him. She headed for the large ship, ticket and bag with some civilian clothes on hand. Though it was still early in January, Evie did not feel cold, she hardly did actually, perhaps because the winters in Almaz were a lot more frigid, that she got used to it as she grew up, or perhaps because of something else. Either way, winter weather was almost nothing to her. The lake's water...if one called it water, was black and smoked occasionally, as Evie remembered. It was still the same way now.

After a while, the ship was already starting to board its passengers. Evie moved towards the crowd, holding onto her ticket as she made her way close to the front. She was not one who waited patiently after all.

(OOC: This is Evie's formalwear, for reference. Yes, it is a tailcoat. The shorts are supposed to be silk though, not denim, and the boots are supposed to have buckles, not lacing. XD)

Last edited by *Jean Grey*; 17th May 2013 at 7:37 PM.

~ Signature under Construction ~

| Lucian and Grimsley are mine. Touch and I will cut you. | That also applies to Houndoom. | Clock: Equal-To-Heaven |

Suffocating smoke, the smell of liquor, menacing figures in a dim atmosphere, Cerberus felt at home for the crimson haired man named Raven. The bronze skinned man had taken up resident in Eternus, Columbus after the mishap back in his hometown. With the authorities looking for a thief, him to be exact; it was not safe to be there anymore. The travel here was murdered… his clothing was in even worst condition after and there was a new hole in his light green sleeveless shirt. But it was still wearable so no need to get a new one yet. Raven passed right through the scenic city full of tall skyscrapers and bridges into the danker slums of Eastern District; much easier area to hide especially if they were looking for him here as well. He decided keep himself on the down low for now anyways.

Leading back against the cushion of the booth seat, the youthful adult’s one visible gray eye stared expressionless down cards in his hands. Silently he glance up at his opponents in this game, really burly men especially when compared to thin build. They seem particularly upset to be losing to such a scrawny newcomer as all the cash was gathering in front of him. He occasion threw a game or two to ease their poor ego but he was having easy time reading them off especially in their drunken state. They were down to their last bit of money… a straight flush. One of the men cursed furious as he threw this three of a kind on the table. They were all quite pissed but they were sensible enough not to punch him up for their own stupidity; what could he said he knew when it was time to hold ’em or fold ’em.

“Thanks for the wonderful contribution,” a cocky smile spread crossed his face as he gather his winnings. “Since you got no more money, I guess I’ll be going.” He stored his winnings to his pouch. He walked away slowly just to make sure to catch any comments about jumping him and getting their money back.

“One million ****ing Gold.” Raven instead heard something that was much more of interest to him. Gray eyes locked onto a dark haired fellow and the bartender as they decided to finish their conversation elsewhere, and Raven stalked them to the door of the room. He kneeled down low and carefully eavesdropped on the man, barman and other group of people is seemed. A cruise at midnight into the Dark Realms… a dangerous mission trek he knew and one he would most likely die on. Was a million gold worth it; of course it was with that much money he could relax for a little bit before earning some more. All he had to do was take the money from that guy after he did all of the work… it look like he had a boat to catch.
------------

My, my, what a luxurious ship, a large well lit mammoth of a boat was docked at the port, lots of rich folks around waiting their turned to board. This made a great ground for increasing his funds, problem though his attire would automatically make him stand out. Sneaking on the boat would not be easy, due to the black gunk that boat floated on. If he fell into that it was be instant dead. Even if he did manage to do that anyone that saw him would ask to see his ticket. I guess it's time to obtain entrance…

He walked through the crowd of high class men, women and children. They either took notice of him or didn’t give a crap. His eyes scanned for a perfect target as shivers crept down his spine. It was freezing… it was too bad the zipper of his coat was broken otherwise he would have considered zipping it up, oh well. Children laughter, it must be nice to be kid and think everything so great. One of the little boys ran towards him and tripped. Staring for a moment, he bent down that help the kid back to his feet.

“You should be more careful you’ll dirty your outfit.” He cracked a kind smile and gave the kid a pat on the head.

“Okay, thanks mister” was his response as he continued to play with the other kids. Though Raven really should be thanking him, the man held a ticket in his hand. Parents should really know better than to let their careless child carry such an important object that they could drop and lose. But it wasn’t like the rich folks really cared anyways they would probably just buy another ticket and continued on with their day. If not life lesson kid, life’s a *****. Looking at the ticket, it looked all fancy… the things people waste money on. Stuffing it in his pocket he made his way towards the boat. He would have to look out for that guy which shouldn’t be too hard he was definitely not an aristocrat like the rest of these people so he should stand out just as much as him.

Last edited by InnerFlame; 25th April 2013 at 12:48 AM.
Reason: Typo!!!

Let's eat Grandma!
Let's eat, Grandma!
Commas saves lives.

Say hello to Rascal, he is a naughty little Articuno but he wants to be a true adventurer one day. Feed him lots of spicy berries and help him grow big and stronger.

During tests people look:
Up for inspiration
Down in desperation
Left and right for information

Selena stepped out of her bathroom, and stood in front of a large lighted mirror. She was dressed in a fancy pink evening gown with the straps tied around her neck, and a small hole on the chest area, which showed some cleavage, and a slit on the right side of the bottom. Accesorized with her favorite white necklace, that has three pink stones attached to it. She had a long pair of black gloves on her hands, and a matching pair of high heeled shoes on her feet. She had spent many hours getting ready for this occasion. After all, she had to look good, it was her job. She did a twirl in front of the mirror to make sure she looked good from all sides. Then she adjusted the diamond tiara atop her head, and admired her reflection one last time before clipping her signature silver crescent moon hair pin to a lock of her hair. "There we go. Perfect as always." She said with a smile, before putting on the Miss Pandora IX sash. Finally, she threw on her mink shawl, and gracefully headed to her waiting limo.

The Beauty Queen giggled a little thinking about her destination. It was only a few weeks into her reign as Miss Pandora IX, and already Selena was getting invites to fancy parties. She had recieved her ticket in the mail, that invited her to a cruise across The Black Lake. While she wasn't crazy about the location, this was not the kind of thing one turned down. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, anybody who was anybody was going to be there. Of course, Selena was more than anybody, so of course she just had to make an appearance.

It was a rather quiet drive to the port. Selena looked out the window, and smirked. Here she was at the top living the life she always wanted, and everything was going perfectly. Yeah, it could get a little lonely at the top, but who cares about that when you're the center of attention? Still, the girl couldn't help but feel a slight bit of regret. A small sigh escaped from her mouth. She had trouble sleeping for the past few nights, for reasons she couldn't fathom. She had to resort to taking sleeping pills at night so bags wouldn't appear under her eyes, and she wouldn't appear tired when in public.

She quickly shook those ridiculous thoughts out of her head. Ugh, this is ridiculous, I did nothing wrong. This was her goal, she was a star. What could possibly be wrong about that?

Port

Selena stepped out of the limo, carrying her ticket, and a bag with a change of clothes and some other essential items. She looked around, tapped her foot, and sneered in disgust. The lake's water looked more like toxic ooze then water. It was black and smoked occasionally. Selena was disgusted by the sight of it, and wondered why on Pandora would anyone want to take a cruise on that kind of water. Well, at least the ship looked good. There were also some unsavory characters around that looked like they didn't belong there, but she did her best to ignore them. Hopefully, security would catch them and they'd get thrown out.

It was a cold night, and she couldn't stand the cold. She pulled her shawl close to her body, but she tried not to look like the cold bothered her. She didn't want to be seen as a fragile flower by everyone, she was better than that. After a while, the ship was finally starting to board its passengers. It's about time Selena thought, as she put on the best smile she could muster, and gracefully walked towards the crowd, and held on to her ticket.

It was an unremarkable office in an unremarkable building. The tables and desks were flimsy particleboard; the neutral-tone partition walls were weak enough to stick a butter knife through. In various corners, there were fake snake plants trying to add some life to the place, since the office staff couldn't keep the real ones alive. If there was anything noticeable about the place, it was that it was very very clean. The tang of cleaners and their synthetic fragrances lingered in the air. There wasn't a stain anywhere and any holes in the walls or furnishings were patched up smoothly. It was a janitorial service, after all, and the main supervisor couldn't do his regular work unless the area was spotless.

Demetrius could feel that man's disapproving gaze every time he checked in to the main office. It wasn't that he was covered in muck or in total disarray. Really, he was only a little unkempt, with his brown plaid jacket slightly frayed and sitting askew on his shoulders. And his short brown hair wasn't perfectly straight. Normally that kind of thing didn't matter to him. Coming into the office, though, it was amusing to see the supervisor get tense and twitchy just having those little things out of place.

“What are you doing here today, Mr. Rockwell?” the supervisor asked, the fingers on his right hand fiddling with the air in a restrained desire to put him in order.

“I agreed to swap jobs with somebody,” he said, handing over the forms to request the change. “Something got him all spooked and superstitious about it.”

The supervisor took the papers, mouthing some hope that it wasn't what he thought he was. Looking at them, his hopes were dashed. “Uh-huh... the Black Lake cruise.”

Having looked over the information, Demetrius had a good idea of why he hadn't been asked to take this. Still, he couldn't resist needling the supervisor about it. “I don't see what's got him all worked up. Hell, I haven't seen hazard pay like that since... since a long while, and it's just taking care of some silly folks making a luxury of danger.”

“Well it wouldn't be too much harder than anything you've done,” the supervisor said. “But this is... a very important job to our agency, we really need to be impressive with this one to keep the clients. You need to be perfectly presentable, polite to the passengers and crew, and, well,” he took a deep breath.

“I can do that,” he said dismissively. “Besides, the best janitor is one you never really see. Isn't that what you say to the new guys?”

“Yes, but on a ship, that's not going to be as easy. And... you really should be sober during the cruise itself.”

Demetrius made a face. “Aw, but I'm so much surlier like that. They shouldn't notice if I'm friendly enough.” Then he smiled, mocking the supervisor's worry while increasing it.

“The passengers are going to be people with expectations,” the supervisor said, starting to fidget with the papers.

“The people we send need to be excellent examples of our work,” he replied, a little desperate now.

He raised an eyebrow. “And I'm not?”

Giving in, the supervisor sighed. “Not that, you do good work. If only you'd just put that effort into your personal appearance... here.” He tugged at Demetrius' jacket until it sat straight. “Fine, I'll send you up with them. But please, you really need to be on your best behavior on that ship. Keep stuff clean and in order, including yourself. Oh, and the job requires a uniform; they'll give you one on the ship when you arrive.”

-+-

And that was how he ended up on the ritziest ship he'd ever seen on the ugliest lake ever, wearing a green and silver uniform with a small hat and white gloves; the clothes seemed more representative of a classy hotel's bellboy than a ship's janitor. He had arrived in the early morning to help with preparations: vacuuming the hallway carpets, polishing the brass rails, wiping the windows, scrubbing the bathrooms, and even a careful cleaning of some crystal chandeliers. In a less visible area of the ship, he had a tiny room where he'd left a bag of some clothes and other things, in case he needed or wanted to go somewhere when the job was done. Really, it was mindless drivel all in the name of some vain thrills.

Demetrius didn't mind all that, though. He focused his attention on doing good work, watching for streaks and small specks. Doing that, it was easy to ignore the dangerous setting, especially the dark realm across the lake. And it was easy to ignore the dangers in his own mind, treacherous thoughts and memories that threatened to wrap icy tentacles around him and drag him down into a horrifying depression. Those things came to the surface more often the more he was sober.

And when he wasn't working. As the passengers started to arrive to have their tickets checked out, Demetrius was walking down the hallway by some of their rooms. The windows were large here, giving a spectacular view of the corrupted waters of this lake. It was unsettling to look at. And yet, reassuring too. What most people around here didn't realize was that the lake acted as a buffer zone to the Dark Realms where strange magic thrived. It was keeping this border from expanding, or even breaking down. Demetrius noticed what the magic here did and was grateful for it.

He wasn't grateful for how the lake's mixed magic seemed to stir his older memories. Staring at its burbling surface too long started to make him question why he had to live this way, working mindless jobs so that he didn't have to deal with his mind. “**** staying sober for this job,” he muttered softly, taking the silver flask he'd hidden under the uniform's jacket for a quick drink. He could keep in control, drinking just enough to make this tolerable but not enough to make the crew suspicious. After all, it wasn't like he was responsible for sailing this boat and keeping these people safe.

Wasn't his responsibility at all this time.

Spoiler:- OoC:

OoC: I hope the buffer zone explanation works; that was what I was thinking reading about it.

Last edited by Ysavvryl; 24th April 2013 at 9:39 PM.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

So much was going through Dante's mind that he failed to realize he was next in line to board. Pulling out the ticket from an inside pocket with just his index and middle fingers, Dante handed it over to the guard. The older gentleman in the green uniform snatched the ticket and moved aside but not before shoving a mask and stub at Dante. "What's this?" He asked in bewilderment as he surveyed the funny looking object, an eyebrow slightly raised as he did so. "It's a ball mask you tool, the other is your room stub." The irritated graybeard answered. A ... Ball mask? " ... Tell me, old man, why would I want such a silly object?" Judging by the way the guard stepped his right foot, he was growing impatient, "Oh, I don't know!? Someone, somewhere, thought it'd be a good idea to have a dance at 2 in the mornin', now go on. Get! You're holding up the line! Sheesh!" Dante simply shook his head as he crossed the silver gangway, holding the strap of his duffel bag over his shoulder and loosely grasping the mask between his fingers, " ... Right," he half whispered.

...

" ... Room 666." Ten fucking levels on this ship and out of all the possible rooms, he gets this one. Dante went inside and shut the door behind him; he didn't bother hitting the light switch, there was a small crystal lamp near the bed that lit that corner of the room. Like you would a bowling ball, Dante hurled his duffel bag across the room onto the bed and then walked toward the large, rectangular glass pane. Nothing but black sludge as far as his eyes could see, the light of the ship illuminated only the immediate surrounding area, beyond that it was pitch blackness with heavy smoke, very much appropriate to the lake's namesake. Dante wasn't familiar with Eternus much less Black Lake and beyond that the Dark Realms but he did remember some things from his studies back home. You didn't venture into the Dark Realms and you didn't cross Black Lake. Never. Less you had a death wish.

Dante removed his coat and laid it on the bed, he then crossed both arms, grasped the hem of his muscle shirt and pulled up, careful not to remove his dog tags as well. The cold stainless steel burned into Dante's warm skin. At first he thought it was normal but then the warmth from the center of his chest spread to the rest of his body and he began to sweat. Suddenly, a powerful surge of excruciating heat rushed through his veins forcing Dante toward a metal bucket in the corner of the room filled with ice and complimentary champagne bottles. Dante dug both hands in the ice and remained until his body temperature lowered and the burning sensation of fire disappeared.

Dante threw his head backward to rest on the edge of the bed, balled up both fists and took a deep breath. ... God dammit ... The hell is happening to me? He thought. His eyes remained closed for several seconds as visions of Beatrice and his best friend replayed in his mind like a bad video tape that played the same scene infinitely.

And then it was time for a distraction. Dante opened his bags, changed into semi-formal clothes and put on the mask handed to him by the guard. He stepped out of his room and locked the door. Dante felt uneasy walking the crowded hallways. Hardly anyone seemed bothered by what the ship floated on. ... Amazing ... not a single care in the world ... Perhaps it was due to the hundreds of soldiers scattered throughout the ship. Elite soldiers no doubt, they'd need this sort of firepower as preventive measures. Dante headed to the 10th floor to a massive Hall where the ball was supposed to be. Dante had no intention of dancing he simply wanted to keep his mind from himself and figured watching these snobs make fools of themselves was the best way to do it. He took seat in the bar area, his back to the room.

"Hey fella, what can I get you?" The bartender asked.

Before Dante could answer, music began to play. The main event didn't start for another while but hundreds of masked women in very large dresses and masked men in suits made way.

Evie quickly shoved the ticket into the guard's hands as he gave her a room stub. He looked at her up and down for a moment, a strange look in his eyes as he put down the golden crescent mask he was about to hand her and opted to give her another mask instead. Evie looked it over and decided that it was better than the first, before moving forward into the ship. The blonde turned over her room stub with her free hand and took a look at the number. 713, nicely on the deck level. Adjusting her bag, she then looked at the golden signs on the wall, immediately heading to the direction the elevators were supposed to be. It took quite a bit of walking, but she managed to find it. Entering with a number of people, she waited as the elevator climbed up to the seventh floor.

-----

Evie placed her bag on one of the red velvet couches in her suite, tucking her long bangs behind her right ear. Her room had a nice view, being a deck room. It was a good thing that she had trusted the man after all with the ticket. Things were just as she expected, and she had her skill and nerve to thank for it. She opened the mini bar and took out a bottle of chilled Vodka, popping it open and taking a gulp, then another, looking out of the window. The night was seemingly calm, the black sky dotted with stars, despite the steaming and occasional bubbling of the Black Lake. Evie had lived in Eternus ever since her late teens, ever since her father's murder. In many ways, it was a world different from the icy, snowy Almaz that she still missed up until now, despite visiting the country occasionally still. She looked to the clock and noticed that quite a few minutes passed as she drank, prompting her to put down her bottle and start fixing herself up a bit before she headed for the ballroom.

Fixing her long bangs over her left eye and applying a bit of dark eyeshadow around her seafoam-colored eyes, Evie finished up retouching her look. Taking the mask in her black-gloved hands, she placed it over her face, fastening it on. The mask was black and reminiscent of a demon, with its sharp silhouette, complete with small, sharp, crimson-edged extensions that looked like horns coming out from the top. Looking up at the mirror, she smirked as she saw herself before she headed out and back to the elevator, coattails flying as she walked past several people heading in the same direction and into the elevator.

The doors opened, and Evie walked out into the vast, brightly-lit ballroom amidst girls in fancy gowns or dresses and men in sharp suits of different styles, all of them masked as she was. Looking around, she noticed a number of glasses holding differently-colored drinks sitting on the counter of the ballroom's bar. She made her way there, picking up one of the fancier-looking small stemmed glasses, with a wide, sloping top graduating down to a bowl-shaped bottom just above the stem. The glass was filled with light green spirits. Green Fairy, clearly. Evie tipped the glass into her mouth and took a sip, enough to taste the slightly bitter herbal anise flavor. She looked above her glass and saw a dark-haired boy sitting at the counter. He looked about her age and dressed in a rugged, but still presentable way. His mask only covered half his face, with a sharp, blade-like design encircling his right eye. Evie took another sip before putting her glass down and pushing another one of the glasses filled with Green Fairy towards the boy before pointing at it.

(OOC: Anyone can strike up a conversation with Evie...or even ask her to dance if you'd like. XD The likes of Asher would probably have a hard time spinning her though, since she's so tall....you could try for comedy though. XD)

(OOC: Evie with her mask is here.)

Last edited by *Jean Grey*; 26th April 2013 at 5:49 PM.

~ Signature under Construction ~

| Lucian and Grimsley are mine. Touch and I will cut you. | That also applies to Houndoom. | Clock: Equal-To-Heaven |

It wasn't long before a blonde dame with wavy hair and a black mask approached the bar counter and ordered up a drink - Green Fairy.

Dante was in a trance of sorts and failed to notice people including her initially, that is up until she flung a glass his way. He averted his gaze but caught the drink dead in his left hand.

"Drink up, handsome. It's good stuff. You won't be needing that damn Gold anyway...did you check your ticket out?" The girl of the light sea-foam green eyes said, pointing at the drink. Dante pulled his sleeves further up, exposing the tattoo that reached down his forearm and then he grasped the glass. He flipped the Gold Coin into the air, caught it between his fingers and buried it in his pocket. " ... Didn't bother. Figured all I needed was the stub ..." Dante replied.

He held the drink acknowledging the gesture and took a sip, bottoms up. Dante turned to the femme fatale, he couldn't help but notice the way she was dressed, quite ... different from everyone else.

He looked at her half-wondering about the expression behind the mask.

" ... So much as a dip at the shore will be enough to kill you, tell me, what possessed you to come out here?" Dante downed the rest of his green drink; he abruptly stamped the empty glass on the bar counter and stared at it for a few seconds as if completely out of it before looking back at the female. Half-narrowing his eyes, he looked her in disbelief and amazement.

Beatrice ... He thought but didn't say a word.

His beloved was right there with him; that's all that mattered to him.

He got up from the stool and stepped to her, "Come ..." He whispered lightly in her ear and gently grabbed her from the hand. He felt the material of her gloves at the palm of his right hand as he guided her through the crowds to the dance floor.

He wrapped his right arm around her waist and lightly pressed her against his own self. Then, he extended his left hand and requested her right.

Beatrice loved this kind of thing. He recalled the countless weekends they'd spend together at similar events of much less grandeur much to Dante protesting.

He slowly began to pace to the rhythm of the orchestra, swaying her like no one else could. He carefully timed his steps for the greatest experience he could deliver. ... One ... Two ... One ... Two ... As he remembered.

And for that moment, he was no longer Dante, he was a ferocious lion willing to maul anything to keep her from leaving his arms ever again ...

Andre flashed the guard his golden ticket with his empty hand. He held several bags in the crooks of his arms. The guard studied the young man and he gave him his room stub, and a pink face mask in return.

Andre looked at the mask, and frowned. "Monsieur, I don't suppose you have something...how you say...prettier than that? Some thing with diamonds perhaps?"

"Kid, you'll take what I give you and like it. Now move along, you're holding up the crowd."

Andre rolled his eyes. "Hmph, fine then." He took it, and walked off in a huff. He looked at his room stub and took a look at the number. 777, he smiled that he had a room number that was easy to remember. pulling his bags up to his shoulders, and followed the golden signs on the wall. It took quite a bit of walking to get there. By the time he got to his room, he was already out of breath.

He opened the door of his room, and threw his bags on the large he looked around at the room, and shook his head in disapproval. "Are you kidding? My closet back home is bigger than this." He made a mental note to request a bigger room when he got the chance. Surely a star of his caliber deserved it. He opened the mini-fridge, and pulled himself a bottle of wine. He poured himself a glass, and took a small sip before spitting out in disgust. "Ugh, the wine in this realm c'est horrible." He dumped the rest of the wine into the sink. "These debiles don't have any idea who they're dealing with!" He had been accustomed to the best of everything, and there was no reason this trip should be any different. So far though, he wasn't enjoying it. The location they were cruising in was hideous guard was moronic, the room was tiny, and the wine was awful. He hoped this party would be better. He took one of the bags he brought with him, and went to the bathroom to get ready.

---

When he emerged from the bathroom after a couple of hours of getting ready, he was ready to attend the ball. He had bought himself a gorgeous and expensive pink dress. So what if he wasn't a woman, girls had prettier clothes anyway. Besides, they would all be wearring masks, and it would be the perfect time to show of his collection of diamonds and gems. He wore a pink cardigan over the dress because he obviously didn't have a woman's figure to fill it out properly, so he needed to hide the top. He was draped in expensive jewelry. A chain necklace made of crystal with a few diamonds attached to it, diamond drop earrings, a large stack of bracelets with diamond charms clipped to them on his right wrist, a jeweled belt around his waist, and his favorite acessory, a ring with a gigantic diamond a top it. He completed his look with a pair of pink high heels, and a long curly blond wig with a few gemstones scattered on top of it. He frowned a little because of the mask he had been given. It was pink and reminiscent of an angel's wings. He thought it didn't go well at all with this outfit, as it looked cheap compared to everything else he was wearing, but it would have to do. He was happy that at least it was his favorite color. He quickly spritzed himself with some lavender scented perfume, and admiring his reflection in the mirror, he left his room, and made his way to the ballroom.

---

The doors opened, and Andre walked out into the vast, brightly-lit ballroom amidst girls in fancy gowns or dresses and men in sharp suits of different styles, all of them masked as he was. He got a few strange looks from people, but he didn't give a damn what they thought. He made his way to the ballroom's bar, and sat at a stool. "One glass of red wine S'il vous plait." He said to the bartender. "And make sure it's Auroran! The wine in this realm makes me gag"

The guy in the bar looked at the man in a dress funnily for a few seconds before preparing the drink he asked for. While he waited, Andre turned his chair around, and watched the couples dance. He smiled a bit thinking of how romantic the scene was. When the bartender came back with his drink, he took the glass, and took a sip. "C'est magnifique! Much better, Merci beaucoup!"

Andre decided to take the time to mingle with the crowd a little. He approached a young couple he thought looked cute together. One was a girl with a wavy blonde ponytail tied with a red ribbon, and a black mask. The gentleman she was with a dark-haired boy who was wearing a mask that only covered half his face.

"Bonjour mon chéries!" He said as he gave both of them a kiss on the cheek. "I must say, you two look adorable together." He took another sip from his glass of wine, then got between the two of them, and put his arms around them. "How long have you two been together?"

A snoozing Damión laid in his office chair with his feet crossed on the desk for his afternoon siesta. He had a smile on his face and some drool trickling down his cheek; a sure sign that he was dreaming about his favorite thing, food.

His assistant, a sharp looking man about Damión's age, walked in and looked in disgust at how his boss can just take a nap in the middle of work. He swore he did much more work than him, and it was possible that he did. He was always doing the paperwork and taking calls for him while he sat in his office doing who-knows-what. He then cleared his throat in a ticked-off manner and started to nudge Damión on his shoulder.

"Boss? Boooss?" The nudges weren't effective, he'd have to get more aggressive in order to wake up the slumbering boy. "C'mon boss! Wake up!" he shouted as he furiously shook Damión.

"H-huh? Wha-? Is it 9 o' clock already?" said the dazed Damión.

"Sir, it's about 9:30 now. It's almost time for the meeting with the executives. It's about your ideas on the possible expansion of the franchise."

"Boss, as much as I'd like to, this meeting is really important and it's crucial that you attend!"

"Oi! I'm sure they can wait," said Damión as he turned to his desktop to check his e-mails, "Start thinking of a place and book a reservation. Maybe some Tochi? Yeah, that sounds good... Make it a hibachi too!"

"Sir..." Ramos was giving up by now, knowing he wouldn't be able to sway his boss' mind.

"Ooh! Look at what I found!" Damión motioned for Ramos to look at the monitor. "There's a cruise ship boarding passengers now! Why don't we go? You know... for studying! I can get some ideas while staying! It's like working, ya see?"

"W-wait, we? Sir, I-I'm not to sure about tha-"

"Done! Bought two tickets. Did you make reservations? I'm starving!"

Ramos tried his hardest to contain himself and all his frustrations. "I'll get right on it sir," he said through clenched teeth. As soon as he stepped out of the office he pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long and irritated sigh. "I swear. I just feel like strangling him," he muttered under his breath.

"Ramos is so wonderful~!" said Damión in a sing-song voice.

-------------------------

"Ahh, what a nice meal. Magnificent really! Don't you agree Ramos?"

"Yes sir... it's almost 11 o' clock now, can we go?"

"But don't you want dessert?" asked Damión as he placed another bowl atop about ten other ones and rubbing his exposed belly with his free hand.

"Sir, I'm sure we've had enou-"

"Nonsense! You can never have enough food, ever! But I guess we could go if you want to."

"Thank you, sir..." Ramos avoided looking at his boss. He always felt awkward whenever his boss would treat him kindly. He'd also feel awkward whenever his boss would open his shirt like he does when he's ready to eat.

"I guess we should be on our way, then," said Damión as he put on his coat and payed the check, as well as leaving a generous tip. "Off to the cruise!"

-------------------------

Black Lake

"Tickets," said the grumpy guard with a blank expression.

"We don't have them on hand," Ramos explained, "They were purchased online. You should see a Damión Aguilas and Stephen Ramos on that list there."

The guard looked at the clipboard he had on hand and examined the list of names with squinted, angry looking eyes. "Yeah, you're on," he said as he handed Damión the stub to his room and two masks. He looked at his, golden and curved around the eye, almost like feathers, and a protruding beak.

"Hey," said Damión as he nudged the guard he'd just gotten through. "Is it possible that I could switch this mask with one that wouldn't, you know .. get in the way of me eating?"

The guard gave him a glare and snatched the mask out of his hands. He then ripped off one corner of the mask and passed it to back to Damión. All that was left was an eye piece and the curvy plastic that resembled feathers. Damión liked it even better.

-------------------------

Damión was now in the ballroom, dressed and enjoying some wine. Ramos was right next to him, feeling uncomfortable in such a setting.

"Cheer up, Ramos! Look at this party, there's food, music, art, food, drinks, food, and more food! What a wondrous place to be. This is exactly how I imagine the Bienvenidos cruise ships to be like, only better."

Ramos just looked away shyly. He never wanted to be someplace else more than now. In between his nervous thoughts and darting looks around the room, Damión managed to wander off and leave him alone. "B-B-Boss!"

Damión was grazing the art gallery looking at the beautiful pieces on display. Art was right next to food in his interests. As he was walking along, swirling the wine in his glass, he came across a painting that made him stop. He saw it and couldn't help but gaze, captivated by what's on the canvas.

"This is such a beautiful piece... It captures Eternus perfectly, almost like the first time I came here, the fresh new look of the city. I must know the creative mind behind this!"

(OOC: Tochi is the equivalent for Japan that I chose [it can translate to land or patch of land in Japanese]. Also, this is Damión in his formal wear, since everyone is doing it: )

The attendance sure kept the lot of them waiting in the cold, dark night before he started letting people in. He didn’t spot the person he was looking, but Raven was nowhere close to giving up. More waiting until he finally was able to board the boat and the man taking the ticket just stared at him for a minute. Just by how he looked at him he could guess he was thinking: who is this person and how did he even afford a ticket. Good things his curiosity didn’t distract him long from his job; he took dark skinned man ticket and handed him a mask. And now Raven was confused. A white mask with a beak it seemed to resemble much like his name, a raven.

“It’s for the mask ball taking place on the tenth floor” the man told him and that was all Raven needed to know. The rich could do whatever the hell they wanted, even having ball at roughly two in the morning. He didn’t attempt to ask anymore questions he was just a lowly worker and not worth the time. He was given the room 404 and he could have just gone there but instead he inspected the area. He was not used to it being so bright and sparkling, everything seem polished to a shine. Occasionally when he glanced into it, he could swear he could see a pair of dark shadows following him… It wasn’t just here; Raven often felt something ominous stalking him. Something bad was going to happen. The man could feel it; something as ‘great’ as this would only end terribly and as fate would have it, he would get to experience it firsthand.

Soldiers were littered everywhere and it seem every one of their eyes would catch him. The redhead aged outfit was unfitting for such a place and he was standing out too much. Even though they couldn’t do anything because he did indeed have ‘proof’ of boarding normally, the man would like it better not having to deal with people. His only choice was to get something more… fancy. He walked down a series of hallways and glance of the doors lock. It was nothing too complicated that he couldn’t open but he had no idea about the person who took residence in it. An attentive guard stood at both ends of what seem to be every hallway and he already looked suspicious. He feigned being lost when one of them went up and talked to him. Screw it, he didn’t have the patience for something stupid like this with nothing really to gain; Raven decided to just deal with it.

Raven made one quick trip to his room leaving behind only his swords. It was the only thing he was willing to leave. He didn’t want to stay in the room as he would end up going to sleep like any normal person with nothing important to do. He decided to go check out that ball and see if he can find that guy from the bar. If nothing else he’d find something to pass the time before disaster strikes.

------

Who would have guess that he would be forced into wearing something formal, his dirty and tatter clothing was apparently not ball material. So Raven was given something and by look the material wasn’t anything special probably cotton blend. It also wasn’t the best of fits, but it was acceptable. Black shirt, black coat, black slacks and black shoes; the only other color was the light gray cloth around his waist that was good for covering his crimson pouch. It was a little uncomfortable to move around with but he’d find away to deal with it. After his wardrobe change he entered the place and it shine here more than anywhere else on the ship. There was lots jewelry and fancy outfits that shimmer in the light. This would a great place to earn some money… but he would still be one of the more suspicious people on this boat and the first person they would be checking… He would have to wait until he wasn’t on boat offshore sailing in deadly waters.

People were everywhere and he fail to spot any messy black haired people… maybe all the lovely jewelry was distracting him from his search. Eventually Raven found himself at food table and what a spread. It was filled with food he never seen and/or eating in awhile…There was steak, lots of steaks, many different kind apparently…… he hadn’t had a steak in what felt like forever. Raven loved steak. He glanced around almost cautiously; there didn’t seem to be a cost for it, but it still seemed too good to be true…

Might as well as enjoy myself while I can. The decision was made and the man piled on a steak and some other foods to go with it. Sure it was early in the morning but he hadn’t eaten since yesterday at noon. Raven had long gotten used to skipping meals and having small meal. Sot his was a special treat for him, while lasted. Sitting down at a lone table he started cutting the steak when his eyes caught something unusual… Really revealing clothing… Blonde stripper and what were the chances, she was dancing with his messy haired target; he was pretty certain that was his target even from a distance his clothes look average in comparison to everyone else. There was another blonde… in a pink dress and tons expensive accessories sparkling from what he could tell. And from this angle, a drag queen… This is a weird ball… He popped a piece of the steak in his mouth. But the food is decent.

Let's eat Grandma!
Let's eat, Grandma!
Commas saves lives.

Say hello to Rascal, he is a naughty little Articuno but he wants to be a true adventurer one day. Feed him lots of spicy berries and help him grow big and stronger.

During tests people look:
Up for inspiration
Down in desperation
Left and right for information

Asher kicked down the hatch of the ventilation duct and looked around the deck. THere wasn't a guard in sight, and the only sounds he heard were those of ship rats. He summoned a small chortle as he began to look at the grand prize, a small black pearl. Black pearls were some of the most valuable things on the black market, making it easy pray for almost any good thief. The ship hadn't even started to board yet, so the alarm systems weren't even set up yet.

He quickly swiped the pearl, and put the worthless decoy there. He felt bad for the poor bastard who left such easy loot there, such a travesty. He quickly ran toward the vet, and used his umbrella as a grappling hook. While he hated such formal wear, it was the only thing he could easily use to infiltrate the ship. Though, the exhibit wasn't a lie either, he still very much wanted to restore his family name, but this sort of prize was irresistible to him.

"I'm like a kid that's about to get candy when I hear about these things. I get so exited and happy when it's finally all mine! It's mine now anyways, and I wont let this out of my sight. Besides, at least I get to do something I enjoy here. All of those other damn children here get to play and enjoy leisure, but I don't get any time off.... I'm getting envious again, that's not a good sign..." Asher muttered to himself as he climbed through the vents. He soon reached his room through the vents, and quickly put his loot away. He had some time before he had to change into that, so he decided to check out the exhibit

/) (\

Upon arrival to his exhibit, he was hearing many good things of praise, Asher shocked at how quickly the time passed by.

"These works... I heard that lunatic painted them. I'm honestly shocked, he must have had a lot of time and emotions to make such powerful works," a noble woman told her group of friends

"I don't understand why everyone is crowding to the piece of the maple leaf.... It looks like a photograph. No, wait a minute, it's clearer then a photo..." A ship worker tending to the exhibit stated to himself.

"This is such a beautiful piece... It captures Eternus perfectly, almost like the first time I came here, the fresh new look of the city. I must know the creative mind behind this!" A noble looking man stated as his swished his wine cup.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, I had somethings to attend too..." ASher muttered crossly as he looked at the crowd, who all darted there attention to him. He saw his aunt walk up to him

"It took you a long time. Where were you?" She whispered harshly into his ear

"Sticky fingers," he replied back

"Asher, what did I tell you about... Oh never mind. We have to get ready for the Masquerade," Clair told him and then turned to the crowd

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but my nephew and I haft to attend to the Masquerade. We shall hold our presentation after the ball is over, so I do suggest having some Maple Leaf Tea if you want to attend in the wee hours of the mourning. It should give you a pleasant day time nap filled with whimsy," Clair told the listening crowd, before dragging Asher away to there room.

/) (\

Asher muttered miserable as he walked towards the ball room, looking crossly at his Aunt

"I can't believe you made me wear this! Hell, you're making me wear panties for crying out loud. You know how uncomfortable and airy this feels? Also, these!? Why, you had to have me wear pads as well. PADS! This damn dress doesn't help, nor the hair decoration... Though I do like the cloths, I just don't like them on me... These feel like chains, how the hell do you women where this stuff? At least with the mask people won't know it is me..." Asher remembered yelling at his Aunt before leaving the hotel room

"You know, you make a pretty passible girl. Especially since you haven't his puberty yet," Clair whispered into his ear. She was dressed up in a hat and suit, and looked like a really passible man

"I blame those drugs they gave me," Asher responded, taking another vial of blood before walking into the room.

"Uhm, Aunt Clair... Why aren't they crossdressing?" Asher asked

"I guess it's a different cultural custom here... It such a shame too, I bet most of those guys giving you lustful looks are straight," Clair joked before going off to a group of Spleichians.

Asher spotted a woman with a long, light blond ponytail tied by a crimson ribbon. She felt the same to him, like they had some sort of bond or something. Asher walked up to her and asked her something

"Hey, do you mind having a dance with me? I'm not actually a girl, it's just my culture custom at masquerades to do this. Besides, I want to ask you something..." Asher asked her.

(OOC: Asher and Evie dancing, oh god Jean this'll be hilarious)

Last edited by Liltwick; 28th April 2013 at 8:27 PM.
Reason: Was tired

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again Fizzy Bubbles

Whoever was running this cruise had been nice enough to give a good-sized break room to the crew and staff. It had a nice TV set-up even, with a small table of snacks and drinks. The janitorial service didn't have much for a break room, no matter how much Demetrius and others lobbied for an air hockey table. While there wasn't air hockey here either, at least they let them watch whatever videos they had brought.

Demetrius was feeling restless. Now that the passengers were on board, there wasn't as much drudgery to keep himself occupied with. While he and the other cleaners were to be on-call to calls from staff and passengers alike, there hadn't been much to handle so far. The sludge lake would move slower than water, but this ship was made to rock less than normal, meaning there hadn't even been a call of someone puking so far.

“This has got to be the most sinful cruise I've ever worked on,” one of the regular crew said. “Have you seen some of what those people are wearing?”

“Hey, who cares if it pays well?” another said. “Or get an eyeful of some of those beauties. Did you see Miss Pandora IX with the crowd? Seeing her was worth the pain.”

Ignoring him, the other went on. “And the old coot got after me for being surly in the ticket area. Well how did they expect me to act after that meeting warning of layoffs and then springing the location on me, and then having to deal with the prima donnas and the soldiers? It's almost like they got the extra snotty, weirdo, and crazy folks to come. And then there were a few who I'm almost certain didn't come by their tickets in an honest manner. There was this kid who looked like he hadn't gotten a new set of clothing for a couple of years, but no, can't do anything but let 'em on and given 'em their masks.”

“What do you expect from a cruise out to a cursed sea?” Demetrius commented.

The man nodded. “True.”

The other one added, “And it's a night away from your in-laws, so that's something to be grateful for.”

He snorted. “Right.”

“Well I’m not looking forward to being one of the ball attendants, that's for sure. I was certain for a while that you were being surly to get out of that.”

“Just ditch it; it's not like anybody can tell due to their insistence on the masquerade.”

“Nice to see that the work ethic of the crew taking care of our lives is so sunny,” Demetrius said, chuckling at them.

“Ha ha,” the man said sarcastically. “The company did a last-minute shuffle to get this one staffed properly. That's why we got outsiders like you on.” He looked to his friend. “I don't get why they like that kind of thing. I haven't been to a dance since high school, and then it was only interesting for what happened after. Yeah, they've got a free bar and buffet for everybody, but I'd rather be somewhere with a lot more action.”

Demetrius raised an eyebrow at 'free bar and buffet'. There was no good reason for someone to turn down an event when there was free food and drinks around. Maybe he could find a way to slip in there. Could be good for a laugh, plus he hadn't gotten a decent meal since he boarded and got to work.

But even better, he might be able to work in doing this as his 'job'. “What're you supposed to do as a ball attendant?” he asked.

“Make sure that people don't get bored or out of hand,” the guy answered. “Fill out the crowd to make it seem more lively. Be there as a gofer to any passenger who asks for something, or answer questions. Nothing big.”

“Doesn't sound that hard.”

“I don't mind it, but not at an event like this where I have to deal with drunks and snobs asking for nonsense. Last large ball I can remember, some idiots asked me to sing sea-faring songs for the ambiance.”

Demetrius laughed. “Sounds fun. You make it a job to complain about everything?”

“If it's degrading and dumb, then yes.” He tossed a green and silver mask onto the table, one that matched the ship uniforms. “You think you can do a decent job at that? Go ahead.”

“Thanks, but you have to clean up after the next weakling who hurls in my place,” he said, taking the mask and getting up.

“Whatever.”

With this new duty at hand, Demetrius headed back to his room for a change of clothes. He didn't notice anything, but the uniform probably smelled like cleaners. In an identical uniform and the matching mask, he made his way to the ballroom of the ship. This would be a piece of cake, but still something to keep his mind occupied with.

He noticed a couple of other staff attendants among the glittering crowd, one mingling and the other moving through the crowd after some request. First of all, he wanted to get something to eat (and start sampling what they had at the bar; with this many wealthy tastes around, they had to have good stuff). So he headed to the buffet area, picking up a well-chilled dark bottle of beer along with some steak, roasted potatoes, and other goodies.

Over at the dining area, he saw a number of groups already there, eating and chatting. One young fellow stood out to him as being alone, wearing a white raven mask. Well, he was supposed to help people get interested, involved, active, or whatever, so that was an excellent place to start. Demetrius plunked his plate down by the quiet guy, a grin showing under his mask. “What're you dressed like you're attending a funeral for? This is a night to enjoy yourself.” He sat down by him, then whispered as if handling a conspiracy, “I'm on the Wallflower Patrol to make sure nobody's being too asocial, but I'll let you slide if you eat and chat with me. That way, we're both doing something.”

Then he started cutting into the hunk of meat he'd picked out. That official guy had been a loser, he thought. If you were going to cherry pick jobs, at least take the one that let you eat ten times better than usual.

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

Everyone here was insane. Numex had simply tried walking up to the guard asking to get on the lovely boat docked in the harbor. But the guard insisted on him needing a ticket. Whatever.

So, he sat by one of the posts watching people board the pretty boat, waiting. People with fantasy dresses walked by. One guy looked rather out of it when the guard asked him for his ticket and was shove a mask in return. He loved masks. Then there were the people who gave poor Numex an odd look. As if they never saw a short man with spiked hair. Or maybe it was his fashionable attire of bright yellow shirt with brown pants.

Then, his mark came. He knew who it would be when he would see him. He was a rather unclean man. This must have been his life-savings to board this ship. A shame in some ways, but Numex wanted to be on this ship more.

“Scuz me sere. Be you treeing to get on dis sheep.” Numex asked in completely perfect English.

“Uh, I think ya mean ship, but yesh sir. Been waiting all my life to get on one of them.”

Others passed, some still giving Numex a questioning eye, which raised his irritability a bit. Regardless, he kept his cool in front of his mark. “And you meest 'ave worked real hard to get 'ere. But let me tell you this. I 'ave 'ere a something dat can make you reech. I'm felling generous since I don't need it, but I'll eggchange yor ticket for it.”

“I dunno. . .”

“Come on, you look as if you'd need da money. Let me 'elp you out. My date is on dat boat, but some dief took my ticket.” He was cracking. And he did have the object as well: a rare walnut salvaged from the fallen king Olgli. Worth a fortune. The man handed over the ticket first and was given the walnut. The confused fellow cried foul at first, but after some explaining, he was won over. With ticket in hand, Numex got in line and waited to be let in. When he made it up front, he presented his new-found ticket and was let in. At last, Numex would enjoy his first boat ride.

Suddenly, the music in the ballroom stopped, and the lights dimed. A deep male voice came over the intercom. "May I have your attention. Ladies and Gentleman, we have a special guest with us tonight. It is my honor to present, Miss Pandora IX herself, Selena Artemis!"

A spotlight shone on the stage, as the red satin curtain went up revealing the beauty queen standing in front of a microphone. She was the only one in the room not wearing a mask. "Oh thank you very much everyone!" She said politely. "I am so grateful to be in this position. I hope to be the best Miss Pandora IX this planet has ever seen! But for now, let's have fun shall we?" She said with a smile and a wink as confetti was thrown behind her. Selena curtseyed, then gracefully walked off the stage.

"Isn't she beautiful folks? Let's hear it for her!" The male announcer shouted as the music came back on.

As Selena walked, she waved to the audience as they applauded, and some men ogled her. A few people didn't applaud, but Selena either didn't notice them, or just didn't care. A proud grin appeared on her face. That's right everyone. You know you love me. I'm the best one in this room. It was everything she had ever wanted. To be praised and adored by a roomful of people.

She took a seat somewhere, where she was promptly attended to by one of the staff. "Can I get you anything Miss Artemis?"

"Oh, a glass of sparkling water and a salad for now, thank you."

As he went to get her order together, Selena observed some of the guests, and took note of the one in the white Raven mask. She couldn't help but notice how completely out of place he looked compared to everyone else at this ball. She thought his formal wear was disgusting and that he didn't deserve to be in her presence, let alone on this ship. She tried not to let her disapproval show on her face though. It wouldn't be very becoming.

She got up and approached the boy. "Oh you poor poor dear! Could you not afford proper clothes for this? Don't worry, as Miss Pandora IX, I promise to help those like yourself who are less fortunate." She said while giving him a pat on the head.

Elias sat on the hood of her car, looking out into the large city with big green eyes. She had to find a new start, and she knew it. She was going to drink herself to death one of these days... and she knew that too. Actually, speaking of liquor, she was fresh out. As she has been for days, due to insufficient funds. She gave a mild huff of annoyance and brought out a pack of fags, lighting one up for good measure and giving a long huff.

She had spent the last of her money on that goddamn boat ticket, along with well... a dress. If she was going to blow money on useless things, she may as well have a little fun, right? She smirked to herself and dragged the cigarette across the hood of her car, allowing it to ease itself out.

Speaking of cruises, she should probably start making her way towards the cruise now. She felt drowsy, nothing new really. Maybe she could kip out in her suite for a while before actually partying, she shrugged to herself. Either way, she could certainly go for a drink and maybe a dance. Well a dance... among other things.

--------

She made her way to the docks, it was around midnight; or, she thought it was around midnight. Time really meant nothing to her anymore. She looked around at all the people, some already pooling into the ship. She looked at all the evening wear, realizing she had actually really outdone herself. She looked quite spectacular, she actually stood out quite a bit in this large crowd. Sadly, the line seemed to be moving awful slow,. Elias couldn’t help but let a few loud yawns escape her lips.

It seemed to finally be her turn, she looked at the overly large guard who gave her a mild smile before saying something along the lines of ‘tab and ticket.’. She flashed a ticket, and her room tab. The man moved aside slightly to allow her to head inside, she gave a smile and bowed before walking in.

Elias slowly made her way to the elevator, heading to her small room located on the fourth floor. It wasn’t an overly dazzling room. It had a couch, which felt velvety soft; and a heavenly looking bed. She sighed dreamily before shaking it off and heading back downstairs. Walking into the lush, beautiful, and spacious ballroom.

Elias stood on the sidelines, hoping someone would ask her to dance. She was certainly too mellow and shy to even attempt to approach someone at the moment.

((OOC: Also, here's a little glimpse of her outfit; which Jean was kind enough to help me with.~))

Raven was actually enjoying eating his food in peace. Suddenly a plate was put down at his table. His head turned to meet a man with short brown hair. The mask he wore was green and silver which matched his clothes. With so many around to spot, he quickly identified it as one of the staff uniform. The man grinned happily at him and he just stopped eating to stare his normal uninterested stare.

“What're you dressed like you're attending a funeral for? This is a night to enjoy yourself,” he comment in a cheerful tone. This person only said that much and he was already tired of him. Raven thought he might just ignore him until he went away, but he then whispered “I'm on the Wallflower Patrol to make sure nobody's being too asocial, but I'll let you slide if you eat and chat with me. That way, we're both doing something.”

Quietly he stared some more; why did these people care if someone isn't sociable... Not everyone enjoyed chatting it up with strangers. The crimson haired guy glanced around to maybe find another option... It seemed everyone in the area was having fun or drinking at the bar; it seems he was the lone sourpuss of the party... The guy was still here. It looked like he wasn't going to leave. He decided that he would humor the man; until he at least finished his food. Just as he was about to say something when another came in nearby and spoke.

“Oh you poor poor dear! Could you not afford proper clothes for this? Don't worry, as Miss Pandora IX, I promise to help those like yourself who are less fortunate,” was ‘Miss Pandora IX’ words as she proceeded to pat him on top of his head. It took much willpower to stop him from slapping her hand off his head. The lady, the only person that was no wearing a mask, was dress nicely in expensive clothes and jewelry. Miss ***** would have been a better title for her with her talking to him in a condescending the better than you attitude. He looked down at his food; he didn't even get to finish his steak before the flurry bad luck in the form of people messing with him... One telling him, he is a sad sack that needs to be more sociable and the other lady might as well be laughing at him for not being rich. Raven honest prefer the non-rich guy over that chick. Quietly thinking he tried to think of the best way to deal with this new pest...

“That's very generous of you. What lovely person you are inside and out. I'm sure with someone like you on the job all of us unfortunate individuals will lead wonderful life.” His voice sounded sincere enough and he even softly smiled but there was a slight undertone of his snipe and sarcasm about this whole help the less fortunate crap. Even if she used all of her money, and Raven knew she wouldn't, the poor would still be poor. Her pretty words meant nothing to him; just bunch of lies to make oneself look better much like his lies he threw at her. “I'm so honored to have you concern. I would love to keep talking, but... I would really like to eat my food. This will be the largest hot meal I had in years… But you should talk to my new friend, I’m sure he’d enjoy chatting with a wonderful person like yourself, right.”

His stormy gray eyes from holes of the white mask turned back to the guy sitting at the same table with the same smile he was using with her. Raven didn’t know if she’d actually do it but maybe she leave him alone enough to finish his meal… because the one thing he wasn’t going to do was to waste perfectly good steak. The redhead took another bite of the steak and slowly chew hoping he could avoid conversation with at least Miss ‘I think I’m better than you’ IX.

Last edited by InnerFlame; 2nd May 2013 at 3:05 AM.

Let's eat Grandma!
Let's eat, Grandma!
Commas saves lives.

Say hello to Rascal, he is a naughty little Articuno but he wants to be a true adventurer one day. Feed him lots of spicy berries and help him grow big and stronger.

During tests people look:
Up for inspiration
Down in desperation
Left and right for information

" ... So much as a dip at the shore will be enough to kill you, tell me, what possessed you to come out here?" The dark-haired guy asked after he took a sip of his drink. Evie leaned on the elbow she propped on top of the bar counter and laughed.

"Ha, a game of pool that I happened to win, actually. Two hundred Gold was the bet. Luck isn't the only damn key. You gotta have nerve, daring and skill to win a game with high stakes. Should've seen the look on that durak's face. Coward didn't even want to hand over the money at first. Turns out he couldn't take the fact that he lost to a girl...such a pussy. A big one." She replied, grinning as she placed the glass to her lips and took another drink. She noticed that Dante had already downed his glass...the wrong way. Now, Evie had skipped dinner and downing Green Fairy too quickly had its effects, even on the fullest person, much worse on a hungry person, no matter how strong he or she was. Bad things happened to those who chugged too quickly, she had witnessed it more than once. Placing her hands on the man's shoulders, she shook him once, then twice.

"Dude, you don't chug that-..." She started to tell him, but was interrupted by him suddenly mumbling come into her ear, doing what seemed to be a complete one-eighty in terms of demeanor as he took her hand and led her to a waltz. Was he now under the effects of Green Fairy? Nevertheless, she followed him.

Evie was, contrary to popular belief, not at all a bad dancer. She kept in time with the music as Dante held her, turned her around. She looked into his eyes, aqua in color and slightly glazed over. Despite the latter, she couldn't help but find him extremely attractive. Smirking a bit, she looked down at his shirt, trying to find an opening where she could place her hands in. Unfortunately, the dark gray shirt was buttoned up all the way to the neck and its hem was tucked into the guy's leather pants. Damned formality, she thought. She was interrupted by a kiss on her cheek, followed by a kiss on the guy's, both by the same person. She looked to the side to see who it was. A girl with blonde hair and a pink dress stood there, her face half-covered by a pink mask.

"Bonjour mon chéries! I must say, you two look adorable together. How long have you two been together?" A deep voice suddenly asked. The "girl" was actually a cross-dressing male in a dress and a wig. The question however, made Evie shake her head rapidly as she rapidly cursed in Almazine under her breath. Sure, the guy was cute and she wanted to place her hands in his shirt, but it wasn't what it looked like!

"The hell?! What do you think? It's not as if I...fuck, whatever. It's the damn Green Fairy!" She protested, still not breaking away from his hold and her face feeling a bit more red than it should have been.

"Who are you anyway?" She followed up, before the guy in pink got any more ideas.

(OOC: Evie will interact with Asher later. XD)

Last edited by *Jean Grey*; 12th July 2013 at 8:58 PM.

~ Signature under Construction ~

| Lucian and Grimsley are mine. Touch and I will cut you. | That also applies to Houndoom. | Clock: Equal-To-Heaven |

If life gives you lemons, make lemonade and toss some vodka in it; if life throws you a bone, milk it for all it's worth. That was often a good plan and Demetrius wasn't about to pass this chance up. The fair lady here had a lot of hot air between her ears, but she also had a magnificent body to go with it. From that, she was someone more to look at then actually listen to. Then the boy seemed to hit her with really subtle sarcasm. At least, Demetrius thought it was that, since the ideas seemed kind of silly.

A plan started to percolate in Demetrius' mind, something that might be fun, bold, and stupid. 'I'm not nearly drunk enough for this,' he thought. 'But, you only get this kind of chance once in a lifetime and I can always catch up on the booze as the night goes on.'

Picking up on the raven-masked boy's words, Demetrius said, “Yeah, don't get between a man and his meat! But if you want to join us for a meal, the chef here's real top-notch and I'm sure it's fine for even you to indulge some. You and your two perky friends come back over here with some food and we can chat about making the night so beautiful that even this lake blushes at the sight. Let me tell you, I saw that pageant and it was the hottest set of glamor stars that I've ever seen. But you, you were the one who shone the brightest, although it was a pity that it wasn't another kind of shine on the screen. I never thought I'd get a chance to be close enough to smell your sweet aroma.”

Then, just because it would be funnier, he suddenly grabbed hold of Raven-Mask's arm and leaned close to him.

“Oh, but you hang around too, because you're my new best friend.” He said the last two words in a tone that was either 'you're my most hated rival and I'm going to kill you someday' or 'you're the most attractive person on the ship, let's meet up in secret later'. It was really hard to tell, and that was intentional.

Now to see if they could make this night really unforgettable...

Pokedex OS- Still trying to capture every single Pokemon out there in words: 648/718 Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh complete!

For a second, Selena glared at the Raven masked guy when he started speaking. As if to say, 'How dare you speak to me in such a manner!' but then softend her expression. She really wanted to smack his ungrateful little face right there, but that would create a scene that would ruin her reputation. How dare this indigent not be appreciative that someone like herself is even going out of her way to speak to someone like him. She noticed a little sarcasm in his response, after all, she had used it plenty of times herself in the past, and was quite willing to return the favor. "Oh well thank you." She said with a giggle and throwing in a little bit of venom of her own. "I hope we can get all those poor people off the streets someday. You have no idea how much it pains me to see them on the streets begging for money."

He then threw the conversation over to his companion, who then started babbling nonsense, even if some of it was quite flattering which made a smirk appear on her face for a minute. Of course, her amusement quickly faded when he tried to hit on her. Selena had the urge to gag right there, but had to hold it back because that wouldn't be something Miss Pandora IX does. Does he actually think he stands a chance with me? She thought. The man was obviously quite drunk if he thought that she'd accept his offer. And he was supposed to be staff too. She put her hand on her hip, and let out a sigh. This company really needs better hiring policies. She thought it best to get out of there before this man tried to rape her in the middle of the ballroom. "Well of course I did, I won the title didn't I? Anyway, that's quite nice of you, but I have my own table over there, and I really must be going. I have lots of people to meet and things to do you know. It was lovely to meet you." Then she turned around, and went back to her table where the salad and sparkling water she ordered was waiting. She sat down, and put a fork full of lettuce in her mouth while glaring at that table every now and then. Note to self, keep the door of my room locked at all times.

A young rocker with long rosy hair stepped out of his band's mega bus, careful in his step as he did so. Jayden, lead singer of Gunz N' Ink. Along with the band, he was here to kick-off their very first, highly anticipated world tour. He stretched as he touched ground and circled the immediate area to relax his legs. Three others around his age followed suit. "Yo, man, is this the place?" He asked as he lowered his orange aviators, referring to however would care to answer - usually their manager but he was still inside the bus with the rest of the entourage.

"Probably, I see no other big ass ship," one of the band members, a guy with green spikes on his head, answered, slightly annoyed from the long trip.

Jayden simply cracked a smile and chuckled a little, "Yo!"

It was late at night when they arrived. It seemed people were already boarding the titanic water vessel. The cheerful youth was excited for the trip; everyday was a good day to party and smash things, being on a cruise only made everything better.

At the boarding line, Jayden shuffled toward the old man taking tickets. Jayden presented his pass, he looked worn out and the black circles around his eyes didn't help. The guard took a look at the pass and then stared down the rocker. "Next ..." Was all he said as he handed him a ball mask and a room stub. Jayden was annoyed by the guard's disinterest, "Chill man," he said, "you'll get ... wrinkly."
1st Floor || Cruise Ship
Black Lake

The vessel whistled its horns to finally signal departure into the heavily hostile sludge. It was quite some time passed midnight, the ship had just begun to set sail. Gunz N' Ink had spent the last hour or so preparing stage in a dance club down on the 1st floor. Jayden walked center stage to the ecstatic reception of several hundred people. The sound of the electric guitar vibrated a tone of ecstasy across the club. Jayden took to the mike and bowed his head, a half-smile forming on his face, " ... Yo ... you're all some crazy mothers fo' comin' out here. If we die tonight, we die partyin' ..." His voice was melodic; crafted by the Muses themselves. The noise of the crowd was unbelievable, it echoed throughout the entire floor almost.

And then a hard beat dropped.

The concert began.

...

On the other end of the lake, far across the deep fog, a monstrous 20-mile long shadow moves gradually across the waters ... It slowly begins to pick up pace ...

...

Spoiler:- Jayden:

((OCC: One more post coming up ... Hope you're all ready. Shenron's twin would like to say, "Hello."))

Dante eased her into gentle linear side stepping before suggesting rotation. Soon he was executing volcadas and requesting ganchos. Suddenly and quite abruptly a male, cross-dressing as a female, approached the two and greeted them with a kiss.

Dante stood still. He had no idea how to even begin to react to the gesture. Then, the haze slowly drifted away from his mind; he took a second look at his dance partner, she wasn't Beatrice; still locked in his arms was a young maiden with pale blonde hair, neatly held back in a tight ponytail. He couldn't quite make out her face but through the mask she wore he could see her distinct green eyes. He then turned to the male. He looked them back and forth for several seconds as his image of them incredulously multiplied threefold. Squinting his eyes lightly before closing them entirely, Dante slowly tumbled forward ...

...

The next thing Evie knew, the black-haired guy was starting to fall forward, right on her. She held out her hands and grabbed his shoulders, trying to break his fall.

"Govno! Dude, dude...what's with you, man!" She growled as the seemingly drunk man collapsed. Though Evie was strong, she had caught him a bit too late to prevent him from falling and was now slowly being pushed backwards. Grunting, she got down on one knee to prevent herself from losing her balance or be caught in a compromising position. The last thing she wanted was for the crossdressing male to get ideas. Shifting her hands from on top of his shoulders to under his armpits, she managed to stop his fall. Allowing him to lie on the floor as slowly as she could, she checked to see if he was breathing. He was, if his rising and falling chest had anything to say about it. Evie, for one moment looked at the boy's shirt once again, sorely tempted to unbutton and place her hands into it again. Well, at least she had a legitimate excuse this time.

Evie opened up the top two button's of the man's shirt, partly to allow him to breathe and partly because she was just so sorely tempted to. Before she could undo a third button however, one of the guards approached the scene, looking down at her suspiciously.

"Miss, care to explain what happened in here?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight of the boy's open shirt. Evie swore. Did he seriously have to come and give her that look?

"Green Fairy...just Green Fairy. C'mon, he needed that breathing room!" She explained as she defended herself. She raised the guy up once again, helping the guard take him.

"Do you know his room number?" The guard asked. Evie's eyes widened as she shook her head vigorously. While the two of them supported Dante, the guard used his free hand to search Dante's pockets, eventually finding his room stub.

"666. Alright, miss. Leave this to us." He said with a tone of finality, as he signaled another guard to help him carry the masked man away to his room.

...
Room 666 || Cruise Ship
Black Lake

It was at least half an hour later when Dante awoke in his room. The incessant thumping in his head made him struggle to get up but he managed, softly massaging his temples as he dropped a foot to the floor from the bed. He wasn't aware of much about what happened before he knocked out. Completely unknown to the youth was the true reason for his apparent self-destructive tendency, he had become host to something truly monstrous and it was desperately trying to manifest itself. This thing ... this ... Deity was reacting very strongly to others aboard this ship and Dante would not resist any longer ...

Dante stood up and headed to the window. He could no longer see the port, the ship had been moving for quite a while now.

Then, something caught his attention. An island? ... He thought.

The island seemed to get closer and bigger with each passing second - much bigger.

The Bridge || Cruise Ship
Black Lake

A man desperately flings the control room's door open. His eyes are widened and his heart beats at a million beats per second, his face is pale.

"Captain! Leviathan spotted at 11 O'Clock!"

The captain doesn't waste a second, he's prepared but not for what's coming next ... "Quick! Code Red! I repeat Code Red! Prepare the Cannons!" He commands, smashing a large, red button to initiate a violent alarm across the entire ship.

Dante Fierro
Aries/Envy
Room 666 || Cruise Ship
Black Lake

All of the lights go off; only the red emergency sirens flash. Dante hurries to his bags trying too keep as cool as he can, rapidly changing into his other clothes. That's not an island ... Whatever is out there is coming at us fast ... His mind races, thoughts pass like trains in various directions. Immediately, the speakers turn on, "Please proceed to your room immediately and as calmly as possible, we are in lock-down effective immediately!" A voice form the prompter issues. But it's too late.

A titanic dragon emerges from the dark sludge, Its sheer size dwarfs the ship by comparison. The cannons charge energy and blast at the beast but do nothing more than result in an ant trying to maul a mammoth. The dragon - the Leviathan lets out an impeding roar that shatters most of the windows inside the ship; the force is so powerful that it leaves a crater in the front of the ship.

Dante crosses his arms in an X to cover himself from the shattering window but is sent flying back to the opposite end of the room. He forces himself up and quickly rushes out the door. He's headed for the deck. He knows that if he stays inside the ship he'll soon be dead.

The Deck || Cruise Ship
Black Lake

It's a grizzly sight, some people die immediately, others are injured and those who are left panic but Dante keeps forth, shoving his way through the crowds in the hallways and the stairs. He violently kicks down the door leading to the open deck and he hurries outside. What he sees leaves him in utter shock. A pair of enormous glowing, red eyes high above. From the thick fog, an epic snout is revealed.

Dante can't resist any longer; he drops to his knees. A pair of black stainless steel horns force their way from his forehead as a red symbol burns itself into his very flesh. He slowly regains composure and stands. He's possessed with raw power. A dark giant-sword that burns feverishly, materializes in the palm of his hand and he immediately knows, "Inferno ..." He whispers softly. He points the massive sword to the ground, with his back to the doorway he turns his head slightly in profile.

He patiently awaits the first cosmic energy to bust through that door; he tightens his grip.

...

Spoiler:- Dante; Aries Form:

((OoC: Hope that's chaotic enough for you guys. Anyway just a couple things: No summons just yet, when you go Constellation Form, your conscience is intact for the most part.))

- Theme - ((OcC: Form those of you that like a little extra ... ambiance.))

Damión was impressed by all the paintings included in the exhibit and took his sweet time examining each and every one. It was a minute later when his cell phone started to vibrate. He picked it up and answered, "Bueno?"

Immediately, he removed the phone from his ear due to the loud and angry voice on the other end. It was the other executives, they were pissed that Damión skipped the meeting.

"You see, I-I came on this cruise ... a-an-" He nodded his head as he heard the loud and deep voiced man speak. "Mhm, mhm."

"I mean, it's a good way to study the way a cruise ship should be, ya know?" Damión was beginning to convince them that what he's done is a good thing. He usually had a way with others and got away with many things. Of course, his accent was a big help. You couldn't help but love the guy.

"Where are we going? Er-" He never really checked out where the ship was going. He just bought the tickets and the rest was history. Now he's on a luxurious ship headed to someplace else. More yelling ensued.

"We're headed to the Dark Realms, Sir." Damión spun around to see Ramos, cross-armed, and gave him a smile. "Ahem. We're headed to the Dark Realms. Sounds neat, doesn't it?"

No, it did not. At least not to the executives. Grrrr Damión's belly began to rumble. He motioned for Ramos to get closer and mouthed Get over here. When Ramos was close enough he passed the phone on to him. He then gave him a wink and was on his way to the buffet.

He grabbed two plates and covered them both with steak, a helping of mashed potatoes, and some salad. He should have more to eat, but he wanted to fit into his suit. It has been about two hours since he last ate, he needed some more food in his system. He found an empty table and sat down. He started stuffing his face when Ramos put his hand on his shoulder.

"Aw, c'mon. I already told you to cheer up, didn't I? Look, sit down. I .. got you a plate of food!" The food was already half-eaten, with the salad still intact. This only infuriated Ramos and he had the I-want-to-kill-you face on. This was actually a good gesture, coming from Damión. He rarely shared food.

Damión was done with his food in no time and watched Ramos play around with his. After a while, Damión noticed that Ramos moved his fork to the rhythm of the music. This gave him an idea.

"Let's have some fun Ramos!" He grabbed him by the arm and dragged him onto the dance floor. He paired him up with some random woman and went to pick out his partner. There was one that caught his eye. She was in a stunning pick dress and had beautiful blonde hair. She was clad in all sorts of jewelry. She was like a work of art.

"Excuse me, Seńora, would you like to dance," he asked shyly in that accent of his. "Ya know it takes two to tango," he said as he put out his hand for her to accept. She gave a smile and gently placed her hand on his. He pulled her closer and placed his other hand down her lower back.

"Wow! So firm! You must work out, huh?" He then moved her in a little closer. "Ready, mi amor?" The music started to play and they danced. He moved across the floor, following the rhythm of the music.

Dun Dun Dun-Dun Dun

Occasionally, he would lift her up lightly, which was a little difficult for him. "Wow, you sure are a little heavier than most," he said jokingly with a small chuckle. One problem Damión had was keeping his mouth shut. He spoke his mind too much, but luckily for him, he could charm his way out of most trouble.

The music was nearing it's end and Damión finished with a dip. He lifted the woman back up and gave her a smile.

"That was amazing. Sexy I should say!"

"Why, thank you." She said, in a deep, male voice, also giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Damión looked confused, "Uhh, perdón?" He realized he was a man. He never thought about men like that and felt weird that he just danced with one. He would admit to thinking that Ramos was cute on some days, but he never thought anything more. His stomach began to rumble again, dancing burned off some of the food, and he didn't have the two plates of food like he intended.

"Uh, I have to go now. Adiós!" Damion then scurried back to the table he was sitting in. He watched as Ramos continued dancing and enjoying himself. He was drunk, it was obvious.

Damión's stomach began to rumble even more. He wasn't feeling good at all. He got up to head straight for the bathroom, but then sirens went off throughout the whole ship. A voice on the intercom told everyone to head to their room calmly, but the ballroom was a mess. He tried to get to his own room through the chaotic crowd, but was knocked down in the process.

The windows on the other side of the room started to shatter and the glass spread across the room. Damión covered his eyes as he laid on the ground and stood up once everything calmed down. He ran to the window to see what it was.

All he could see were black scales of something huge. Whatever it was was so tall that he couldn't see it's head. He had to head to the deck, something was telling him to. Without giving any notice to Ramos, who was nearby, he dashed towards the exit.

"Boss!"

------------------------

Deck, Cruise Ship
Black Lake

What Damión saw on the deck was a beast. The cruise was equipped with all sorts of weapons to go against anything in the lake, but nothing seemed to work on this one. Looking at it made his stomach hurt much more.

He dropped onto his knees and grabbed his sides. He looked around and finally noticed the bodies, either dead or injured. He then saw a man holding a flaming sword. Looking at the strange man triggered something in Damión and made the pain worse.

A wind started to blow and swirled around him. He sprouting red wings and his feet turned into talons. His skin turned into a pale white and his eyes turned a gold color. His hair turned into white feathers and then it all finally stopped.

He was now in a new form and two sickles materialized into his hands.

What?

He pointed one of his sickles at the beast and a lightning bolt shot out.

"Sick."

(OOC: Sorry if this was long. I wanted to show how he can be a glutton ... and here's his Constellation Form [I didn't feel like describing everything. :P])

As Selena was eating her meal, and eyeing the other guests, sirens suddenly went off, and voice came up over the intercom telling everyone to remain calm, and for everyone to head to their rooms in an orderly manner. Of course when a voice tells you to remain calm as sirens are going off, people tend not to listen. Everyone was running around in a panic. Pushing, shoving, and being rude to each other in the process.

Idiots. Selena rolled her eyes as she stood up from her seat and started walking towards the exit. Running wasn't exactly an option when you were wearing a dress worth 500 Gold and heels. "Alright, everyone remain calm. Women and children first!" She exclaimed while shoving a random male out of her way when she said women. Hopefully, no one was insane enough to actually bring a child to this.

Things got progressivly worse the closer to her room she got. People around her were still panicing, and creating all kinds of chaos. The glass on the windows suddenly shattered. Selena had to cover herself from the flying glass, and the force of it sent her flying backwards. She tried to pick herself up, but it was becoming very obvious now that this boat was starting to go down. As Selena tried to stand up, the boat started to tilt. She quickly lost her footing, and fell face first. With nothing to hold on to for balance, or stop her from moving, the beauty queen started to slide backwards.

She let out a high pitched squeal as she continued sliding across the floor, until she fell out an open window, and fell into the depths of the poisonous black lake with a splash, along with several other poor unfortunate souls. As Selena's unconscious body floated in the poisonous water, It was obvious that this was the end of her. Or, at least it should've been. She was suddenly enveloped by the poisonous liquid, and geyser of white water fired upwards from where she was.

Deck, Cruise Ship
Black Lake

A bubbling liquid started oozing through cracks on the walls. The liquid was similar to the toxic water of the lake, except this liquid was White. Moving on it's own, the liquid started to take a human shape. It grew six feet tall, gained facial features, limbs, changed colors, grew hair, before it's transformation was finally complete. That liquid was Selena Artemis herself.

After reforming, Selena gasped for breath. "Ah! That was the absolute worst thing I have ever experienced!" She looked down, and saw the silver and white dress she was now wearing, and a silver scepter that had somehow materialized in her hand. A her lips formed a small smile briefly. "Well... At least I get a nice dress out of this. And this pretty little accessory too!" She wished there was a mirror around or something reflective around so she could see what she looked like, but there wasn't. Instead, there two other boys in the room with her. One looked like he was part bird, and carried a pair of sickles. While the other had long pointy horns on his head, and was carrying a flaming sword. Typical boy weapons. She thought And the random animal parts just look hideous. Completely ignoring the question of why they had them in the first place. She vaguely remembered seeing that guy with the sword from the party. He was the one that drank too much and passed out. How disgusting! Things like that were the reason Selena herself didn't drink alcohol. What would people say if she were so drunk that she had to be escorted out by security. The guy was obviously from a much lower class than herself, because the people she associated with didn't do such things.

"Well, are you two just going to stand around and stare at each other? Or do any of you actually plan on doing something?" Selena said rather bluntly.